1985 Dom Perignon

Obviously quite old from the deep gold and the developed, biscuity nose. I thought it was from the 1980s when it was served blind. But it is still quite tangy and tense, managing to combine both richness and acidity. Not voluptuous in any way. I wonder whether it will ever relax and really open out? Jun 2013, www.jancisrobinson.com, Drink: 1995-2020

This was a fascinating bottle of the 1985 Dom Pérignon, as the bottle seemed slightly advanced, but retained lovely freshness to its mousse and plenty of bounce from sound acidity on the backend and just seemed to be projected ten years into the future in terms of evolution from what I was expecting. That said, I had not drunk a bottle of this in nearly six years and perhaps the wine has moved this much in terms of tertiary development over that time, but my gut instinct is that somehow, this bottle was a bit more forward than should be typical of the wine. The bouquet offers up a deep and complex blend of baked pears and peaches, chalky minerality, smoky overtones, a touch of pastry cream and a topnote of orange peel. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, crisp and complex, with the patina of full maturity, lovely mousse, fine focus and grip and a long, zesty finish. Oddly, I greatly enjoyed this bottle, despite my feeling it was a bit advanced. Nov 2016, www.viewfromthecellar.com, Drink: 2016-2025.